Metal gear-frame and adjustable brake.



0. HIGEL, METAL GEAR FRAME AND ADJUSTABLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17,1915.

1,234., 1 64.. Patented July 24, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1- 0. HIGEL.

METAL GEAR FRAME AND ADJUSTABLE BRAKE.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY17, 1915.

1,234, 1 64. Patented July 24, 1917,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HA O O .5: /55 i so 78 I 3/: g as as a $7 1 g 55 0. HIGEL, METAL GEAR FRAME AND ADJUSTABLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1915,

Patented July 24, 191?,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 liwenzfoi': Otto ff zye Z.

OTTO HIG-EL, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO,

CANADA.

METAL GEAR-FRAME AND ADJUSTABLE BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1917.

Application filed July 17, 1915. Serial No. 40,401.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTo HIGEL, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Gear- Frames and Adjustable Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to automatic piano players, and pertains more particularly to improvements in the winding and rewinding mechanism used in drawing the perforated music sheets from detachable music rolls over the apertures of the tracker bar, and for quickly rewinding the same when the tune is finished.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and practical mechanism for supporting and driving the musical rolls in either direction, including reversing means and adjustable brakes adapted to be alternately applied to one or the other of the two driving shafts carrying the music sheet rolls.

A further object of the invention is to provide an integral metal gear frame in which the various parts of the winding and rewinding mechanism are mounted. The gear frame is also provided with an arm extending therefrom to which one end of the tracker bar is secured. A second integral metal frame is provided for the opposite end of the music holding box having bearings for the ends of the roll shafts and a corresponding arm for supporting the other end of the tracker bar.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts more fully set forth in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim. 7

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the metal gear frame with the winding and re: winding mechanism carried therein;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan vlew of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the mtegral metal supporting frame used at the opposite end of the music box;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the part shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of frames in position with music rolls.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 the end of the music holder box is shown at A, having the metal rectangular gear frame 1 fastened to its vertical end wall by screws 2. The gear frame 1 is formed of a single piece of metal cast in a die and is provided with a plurality of extending arms and brackets, to be hereinafter described, which serve as bearings and carrier arms for the several shafts upon which the winding and rewinding mechanism is carried. The inner side of the gear frame 1 is formed with a horizontally disposed bracket 3 extending forward with a front plate 3 bent at right angles thereto and presenting a slightly curved front surface conforming to the exact shape of the tracker bar 4. The plate 3 is adapted to fit into a recess formed in the edge of the wooden frame work A so as to lie flush with the forward edge of the latter. The main driving shaft 5 is horizontally carried in the bearings 5 cast on the two vertical side pieces of the frame and located at corresponding points slightly below the middle of the frame 1. In a similar manner the upper and lower shafts 6 and 7 are horizontally supported across the frame 1 in the bearing 6 and 7 a respectively. The former of these is provided at its inner end with a metal stub piece 6 which protrudes through an opening in the music box wall and engages with a socket in the end of the music roll. The lower shaft 7 is likewise provided at its inner end with a sleeve 7 having a socket formed therein, which sleeve protrudes through an opening in the music box wall and is adapted to receive the end of the take-up roll. The main driving shaft 5 which is suitably connected with a motor (not shown) is mounted in its bearings 5 A sprocket wheel 8 is loosely mounted on the shaft 5, being provided on its inner face with a projecting pin 8 and having extending from its other side a sleeve 8 with an annular groove formed therein adapted to be engaged by the forked end of a bracket piece 9 cast on the frame 1. The wheel 8 is thus prevented from sliding along the shaft 5. A gear 10 is rigidly secured t0 the shaft 7 near the left hand side of the frame, and is adapted to mesh with a small gear 11 carried on a sleeve 43 slidable with a feather key on the driving shaft 5. The upper shaft 6 is provided with a small sprocket wheel 12 rigidly secured thereto, and located near the right hand side of the frame in substantially vertical aline ment with the large sprocket wheel 8 from which it is driven by the chain 13.

The upper shaft 6 has rigidly secured thereto a metal brake wheel 14, while a corresponding brake wheel 15 is similarly mounted on the lower shaft 7, Brackets 16 and 17 are cast to the vertical sides of the frame 1, and carry at their forward ends the lever arms 18 and 19 respectively on which the brake shoes 20 and 21 are mounted in such position as to be capable of contact with the peripheries of the wheels 14 and 15. The lever arms 18 and 19 are pivotally fastened at one end to the brackets 16 and 17, extending in a vertical plane a sufficient distance to form proper bearing surfaces for the-shoes 20 and 21, thence they are bent rearwardly at right angles and are formed at their inner ends with the vertically disposed perforated portions 22 and 23 respectively.

A vertically disposed shaft 24 is pivotally supported in brackets 25 in the rear of the gear frame 1, and is suitably spaced therefrom. At its lower end the shaft 24 is formed with a horizontally disposed lever arm 26 which is adapted to be connected with operating means located at the front of the keyboard or music box of the instrument. Collars 27 and 28, provided with integral arms 29 and 30 extending in a horizontal plane, are rigidly fastened to the shaft 25 in such manner that the arms 29 and 30 extend on opposite sides thereof. Connecting rods 31 and 32 are provided with their inner ends coupled to the arms 29 and 30, and their outer ends vadjustably connected with the portions 22 and 23 of the lever arms 18 and 19. These adjustable connections are provided by passing the forward ends of the rods 31 and 32 through holes in the portions '22 and 23, small stop collars 33 and 34 being provided to limit the forward movement of the rods. Coiled springs 35 and 36 are carried on the forward parts of the rods 31 and 32 at their inner ends and bear against the plates 22 and 23,-

and have their outer ends in contact with adjustable nuts or caps 37 and 38 screwthreaded on the rods 31 and 32. A collar 39 having a horizontally disposed arm 40 I integral therewith is rigidly fastened to the shaft 25 in such manner that a small .depending pin 41 formed on the forward end of the arm 40 engages with an annular groove 42 in the sleeve 43 carried on the main horizontal shaft 5. This grooved sleeve 43 is ,slidably attached to the "shaft 5 as already described and is provided at one side with a projecting pin 44 adapted, when it is moved to the right to ,QQILtact with the pin 8 of the sprocket wheel 8 and form a clutch connection between the latter and the driving shaft.

When the sleeve is slid on its feather key in the reverse direction the gear 11 may be put in mesh with the gear 10 and the pins 44 and 8 disengaged.

A guide roller 45 is loosely mounted on a stub shaft 46 carried by an arm 47 suitably secured on a trunnion 48 held in a bearing 49 formed in the frame 1 by means of a set screw. The arm 47 is held in such position that the roller 45 bears against the sprocket chain 13, passing over the wheels 8 and 12, thereby preventing racing of the upper shaft during the rewinding operation.

Assuming the parts in their normal relative positions for receiving a sheet of music from the music roll onto the take-up roll the shaft 5 being driven by the motor, the gears 11 and 10 will be in mesh, driving the lower shaft 7. In this position of the parts the shaft 24 will be so held that the upper bracket arm 29 will be directed rearwardly, hence the brake 20 will be applied to the wheel 14. The lower bracket arm 30 carried on the shaft 24 will be directed at an angle forwardly, hence the brake 20 will be released from the wheel 15 .on the lower shaft 7.

Now, as the rewinding means is operated, it will move the lower lever arms 26 to the right in the direction of the arrow .shown in Fig. 1, which will move the shaft 24 5 8 thereto and driving the shaft 6 through the chain 13 and sprocket 12. The relative positions of the bracket arms 31 and 32 will now be reversed, and consequently the brake 21 will be applied to the wheel 15, while brake 20 will be released from Wheel 14. In

this manner the brakes arealternately ap plied and released to prevent the paper from being wound too loosely on the takeup spool, when a tuneis being played, and

preventing it from being too loosely wound eration. I

The integral metal gear casting may also be provided with other arms or projections, such as the brackets 49 and 50, which support a vertical shaft 51 carrying arms 52 and 53 adapted to be brou ht against the ends of the shafts (5 and by automatic on the music roll' during the rewinding oppaper adjusting mechanism for simultaneously moving them to the left against the action of springs contained in their opposite bearing sockets to cause the music roll to track properly.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5 it Will appear that the metal supporting frame 54 in which the opposite ends of the rolls are carried is also cast in one piece of metal. Tubular bearings 56 and 57 are formed which are adapted to project through openings in the end board of the music holder boX and support the ends of the music and take-up rolls respectively. An arm 55 having a curved plate 55 integral therewith is provided similar to arm 3 of the gear frame, and is adapted to support the other end of the tracker bar 4.

By forming the gear frame 1 and supporting frame 54 each out of a single piece of metal cast in dies of similar dimensions, perfect alinement is always assured between the two bearings of the rolls and the surface of the tracker bar, thus eliminating any of the irregularities which may be caused by loosening of bearing plates, warping of Wooden frame pieces, etc.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

In a device of the class described music roll and takeup roll shafts, brake drums on said shafts, a driving shaft, means for alternately coupling said roll shafts to said driving shaft to be driven therefrom, a pivoted arm carrying a brake shoe in proximity to each brake drum, a rock shaft adapted to actuate said coupling means, arms carried by said rock shaft, rods connected to said arms and passing through openings in said brake shoe carrying arms, springs encircling the rods and bearing against said arms, and nuts threaded on said rods for adjusting the tension of the springs.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO HIGEL.

Witnesses:

GEO. P. MAoKm, N. R. TYNDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

